Can MRI predict brain aging in MS?
NCT ID NCT06221631
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compares brain aging in 200 healthy volunteers and people with multiple sclerosis using advanced MRI scans. Researchers aim to find patterns that predict how quickly the brain ages in MS. Participants undergo MRI and clinical assessments, but no treatment is given.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to better ways to predict and understand brain aging in multiple sclerosis.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It may not directly improve patient outcomes, and results may not apply to all MS types.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 200 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2024
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Group 1: recruitment from the general population through advertisement Group 2: recruitment primarily from the outpatient MS consultation in Inselspital
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Informed Consent signed by the subject * Group 1: Any healthy individual between 18 and 65 years of age * Group 2: Any individuals with any diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis between 18 and 65 years of age and EDSS ≤6.0. Exclusion Criteria: * Group 1 and 2: Any other neurological disease except primary headaches: insufficient language skills in German or French; pregnancy, lactation, any contraindication for MRI (active implants, passive ferromagnetic implants, passive non-ferromagnetic metallic implants \>4cm in the region covered by the active RF coils, large tattoos inside a region covered by the active radiofrequency (RF) coils, claustrophobia or suspected/known non-compliance), smoking within the last 10 years prior recruitment, any other drug consumption except moderate alcohol intake (less than a standard drink containing 10 grams of alcohol per day) or use of medical cannabis, any previous head trauma (with known/suspected intracranial consequences), Body Mass Index (BMI) \>30, and any other chronic progressive disease. * Specific Criteria for group 1: The calculated biological age (BioAge R Package algorithm) differs by \> -8/+1 years from the chronological age. These patients will not be further invited for a study visit with clinical examination and MRI. * Specific Criteria for group 2: EDSS \> 6.0 as this impacts physical testing; clinical relapse within the last 6 months
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Inselspital Bern
RECRUITINGBern, Canton of Bern, 3010, Switzerland
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